Incident at Loch Ness chronicles the story of the making (an unmaking) of acclaimed director, Werner Herzog's film. Herzog's stated intent was "to explore the origin and the necessity of the monster" rather than to look fo... more &raquor the creature itself. Shocking, controversial and strangely humorous, the film raises many questions about where reality ends and fiction begins.&laquo less

Member Movie Reviews

Clever sendup of documentary movies, with a spooky twist at the end. Enjoyed very much.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Jeremy G.Reviewed on 1/4/2011...

Wow, awesome..

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Justin B. from RIXEYVILLE, VA Reviewed on 5/28/2009...

Brilliant. One of the best mocumentaries I've ever seen. It's so dry at times you forget it's not real. If you like Christopher Guest give this a try, it's not the same feel but it's equally brilliant as Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

BEST NON-CHRISTOPHER GUEST MOCKUMENTARY EVER

karatechop | Westwood, CA | 02/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I used to be such a huge fan of Christopher Guest's movies but it seems to me that recently, they've all started to feel exactly the same. The same actors, the same jokes... I'm bored. That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this movie at a film festival. If you like mockumentaries, this is like a breath of fresh air. It's the story of how Werner Herzog tries to shoot a documentary on the Loch Ness Monster but everything goes horribly wrong.

Part of the brilliance of the movie is the use of Werner Herzog as the lead character. As a fan of his, I never could have imagined that he would have appeared in a film like this. The film sends up Herzog's reputation of being demanding and violent on the set perfectly... for example, in this movie, demonic producer Zak Penn pulls a gun on him (echoing the near-legendary confrontation between Herzog and Kinski in Aguirre). There are a lot of moments like this for the cinefile who knows enough about the director to be surprised and amused. Kudos to Werner Herzog for being such a good sport.

I should also point out that I have no interest in the Loch Ness Monster, but this movie kept me riveted by focusing less on the monster and more on the loons who think the monster is real. Special mention must be given to the ridiculous and insane Cryptozoologist who almost steals the film. Basically, anyone who is a fan of Werner Herzog or just wants some good laughs must see this film. I am definitely looking forward to Herzog's next adventure...hopefully in search of Big Foot or something..."

Wheels within wheels

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/05/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This may be the first mockumentary made... about a mockumentary.

The independent, creative mind clashes with big-budget in "Incident as Loch Ness," a bizarre mockumentary-within-a-mockumentary (sort of a fictional "Lost in Le Mancha"). It has some problems -- a slow pace and spotty humour -- but it's still an interesting little movie.

The movie opens in 2003, with an interviewer visiting Werner Herzog (played by... himself) for a documentary. Herzog explains that his forthcoming movie is a documentary about Loch Ness, and how people want to believe in a monster. For this, he's collaborating with Zakk Penn (himself again), writer of movies like "Elektra," "X2," and "X-Men: The Last Stand." Very, very mainstream.

But problems crop up as soon as they get to Scotland. Herzog finds that Penn has hired a Playmate/sonar operator, an exozoologist and a big inflatable plesiosaur. He's trying to turn the intelligent documentary into Hollywood garbage. But as Herzog decides to put a stop to it, something huge in the water attacks the boat...

This is a notable movie for two reasons: It's Zakk Penn's first indie movie, and it's the most bizarre movie that Herzog has ever done. And as we're reminded, he once had a riverboat hauled over a mountain, so that is saying something. At the end, it's hard to even remember that this was all "wheels within wheels."

Stylistically, "Incident" does exactly what it is supposed to do: twist reality, and turn the documentary on its ear. It's slow-paced and rather meditative, like behind-the-scenes documentaries are, and at times it's pretty dull. No outright funny stuff, but it has a sort of wry humour in scenes like the exozoologist showing off his tentacle, or the Playboy girl installing the sonar.

Then after the slow buildup, we get some surprises -- something massive swimming in Loch Ness, which bashes into the boat and cameras. At that point, everything speeds up. The main problem is the ending -- it feels like Penn didn't know how to end the movie, so he just... ended it. Like Herzog says, "It felt empty."

It's pretty easy for people to play themselves by definition, but Herzog and Penn actually do a good job. Of course, they're not playing themselves -- Penn is willing to make himself look like a Hollywood sneak, and that's pretty admirable. And Herzog plays himself as a crabby, brilliant filmmaker who values truth (cinematic and personal) more than anyone else on the tub.

Reality gets twisted into a Mobius strip in this mockumentary-within-a-mockumentary, where Hollywood and independent film collide with a bang. Definitely a weird one."

Clever

Mr. Steiner | New York | 12/16/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Clever mockumentary by Zak Penn and featuring director-legend Werner Herzog on his quest to make a true documentary about the human need to believe in myth. It takes off as your standard "making of" fare, but then it twists into something entirely different as Zak Penn begins filming a super model and the ship encounters what appears to be the real loch ness monster. A number of the crew members are humorous and provide some good material, such as Michael Karnow as the Crypto-Zoologist who is convinced that nesse is the real deal from the get go, and Werner Herzog is in excellent form as he imitates his own obsessed megalomaniac self. The film definitely caught me off guard the first time I saw it, the fakery didn't become apparent until the plot became especially perpostrous as Penn pulls a gun on Werner, forcing him to film an idiotic model of nesse. However, it came across as a tad gimmicky the second time around."